Austin
by piper maru duchovny
Summary: And by the way boy, this is no machine you're talkin' to, this is Austin and I still love you. -Blake Shelton


**Austin**

**Summary: and by the way boy, this is no machine you're talking too, can't you tell this is Austin and I still love you. **

**A/N: So my Beef-ef Rach was tryin' to help me come up with a good song for Mark and Susan and after several failed attempts she went 'AUSTIN' which is the best love song EVER by Blake Shelton. And I love it and it totally fits them. and I'm sorry if they're out of character. most of this was written on ZERO sleeeeep. **

**Dedication: Rachel & Louise. My Marsan Friends. **

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I own them not. Brazzlefrat**

Mark Greene stood in the doctor's lounge of County General Hospital, phone pressed to his ear. Carol Hathaway came in to the lounge and gave Mark a short wave and he smiled back. He heard his machine come on, "This is Mark Greene, chances are I'm at the hospital. Unless it's Thursday and then I'm at the Bull's game with Benton and Cater. If this is Doug, you owe me fifty bucks and uh, I'll call ya back, so leave a message. Oh yeah and if by chance, this is Susan, I miss you."

Carol heard it from across the room and grinned to herself, taking her time to put her coat away.

"Hey Stranger." Mark's heart stopped as the message began, "It's Susan. Guess what? I miss you too. I'm coming home, Mark."

"What?" Mark muttered, even though Susan wasn't there to reply.

"Anyways. My flight gets in at five Chicago time, so you better be there to give me a big sedative. Your machine is going to cut me off, so I --." The machine beeped.

"She's coming home." Mark said, with shaking hands he put the phone back.

"Who?" Carol asked, playing dumb.

"Susan." Mark grinned, staring at his shoes, "She's coming home."

"I know." Carol chuckled.

"You knew?" Mark looked at her.

"Yeah. I was supposed to make sure you checked your messages." Carol laughed.

"You guys are evil." Mark laughed.

"You're happy." Carol smiled, "You haven't laughed in a long time."

"I haven't, have I?" Mark asked.

"Nope." Carol hugged him.

"What's going on?" Elizabeth asked, coming into the lounge.

"Susan's coming home." Mark grinned, his whole face aglow -like a child's on Christmas.

"Who?" Elizabeth echoed Carol's earlier conversation.

"A friend who used to work here is moving back to the area." Carol explained.

"That's nice." Elizabeth said, pouring herself a cup of coffee.

"Yes it is." Mark said, he could feel the energy building in his bones.

"Are you ok?" Carol laughed.

"I can't stand still." Mark bounced on his shoes.

"I noticed. Mark, you'll see her in a few hours. Right now, it's time to play doctor." Carol teased, knowing full well, he'd never calm down.

"Has he gone completely bonkers?" Elizabeth asked, observing her boyfriend.

"Where is she staying?" Mark asked.

"With Cookie and Henry as far as I know." Carol shrugged.

"Nah, they'll kill each other before the weeks end. She can crash with me." Mark said, moving to get the coat from his locker.

"Mark." Carol said softly, realizing that Elizabeth was still very much in the room.

"What?" Mark asked, zipping up his coat, "I live in her old apartment. It makes sense."

"Fine." Carol rolled her eyes, if Elizabeth wanted to fight with him over it, she could.

"I'm gonna go. Tell Kerry for me?" Mark asked.

"You got it." Carol nodded.

"Why don't we all meet up at the bar?" Mark asked, Carol knew which one he was talking about. It was the same one they had gone to every Friday night when Susan and Doug were still in the area.

"Okay. I get off at seven. I'll meet you there." Carol agreed.

"Fantastic. Elizabeth you should join us too. Carol will tell you where it is." Mark said as he dashed out the door.

--

"Who is this Susan?" Elizabeth asked as she watched Mark run out of the hospital.

"Mark's best friend." Carol laughed, collapsing in a chair.

"I thought Doug was his best friend." Elizabeth replied.

"He was, but Susan and Mark is really hard to define." Carol searched for the appropriate analogy, "Have you seen 'Little Rascals'?"

"I think we watched it a few weekends ago with Rachel." Elizabeth leaned forward, completely intrigued.

"You only get a once in a lifetime friend, once in a lifetime." Carol told her, "Susan and Mark are once in a lifetime friends."

"Oh." Elizabeth nodded, "Did they date?"

"Not for the lack of all of us trying, but no, they didn't date." Carol shook her head and she saw Elizabeth's lips turn up slightly at this fact.

"Although, I don't think I've seen him smile like that since she left." Carol added and Elizabeth's face fell again.

--

Mark had run home, cleaning his apartment from top to bottom and then he ran to the corner store, stocking up on all of Susan's favorites. He had put things away with just enough time for a quick shower before leaving for the airport. He left the apartment in khaki pants and a dark blue polo and his jacket.

The cab ride seemed to drag on forever and Mark sat impatiently in the back seat, his fingers running over the tear in the seat. When the cab stopped in front of O'Hare International, Mark literally threw the money at the cabbie and got out of the vehicle, sprinting inside. He paused at the board and found the incoming flight from Phoenix. Glancing at his watch, he had three minutes till her plane was to arrive, he sprinted through the terminal. Not stopping till he reached gate twelve. The doors opened and passengers filed out. Mark waited impatiently.

"Wow you got old." A voice called from behind him and he turned around, grinning.

"You got blond." Mark laughed, "And shorter."

"Come hug me, you big bald man." Susan laughed and Mark picked her up spinning her around. Susan clung to his neck as he stopped, he didn't let her go though.

"I've missed you." He whispered in her ear.

"I've missed you too." Susan replied, tears pooling in her eyes.

"You're never allowed to leave Chicago again." Mark told her, squeezing tightly.

"I don't ever want to." Susan replied, burying her head into his chest, "I've missed you so much."

"You don't want to start that fight, cause I'd win. I've missed you way more than you've missed me." Mark said, taking her backpack and swinging it over his shoulder.

"Not possible." Susan said, her arm wrapped around his waist and his around her shoulder, they began the walk to baggage claim.

"Did you not hear me? I will win at this fight." Mark teased.

"Right." Susan rolled her eyes.

"I've missed you more." Mark told her.

"I've missed you more and I went to Arizona. You lived in my old apartment. Therefore, I win." Susan bumped him with her hip.

"You do not win. You went voluntarily." Mark shot back, bumping her with his hip too.

"I think Carol is gonna have to decide this one."

"Or we could just call it a draw. We've both really missed each other." Mark said.

"Well, we could do that. I mean, that would be the mature, adult, responsible thing to do." Susan giggled, grabbing her black, rolling suitcase off the conveyor belt.

"Or we could just let Carol decide." Mark agreed.

They walked out of the airport, still attatched at the hip when the cold air hit Susan, "Crap. I forgot it was still cold in Chicago."

"Some things never change." Mark said, shrugging off his coat and slipping it around her shoulders. She grinned up at him, sliding her arms through the sleeves, they hung down past her hands and she wrapped it tightly around her.

"Which? Me forgetting that Chicago is cold or that Chicago is always cold?" Susan asked.

"Both?" Mark laughed, hailing a taxi.

"How's Rachel?" Susan asked, sliding into the cab.

"Fine. Bratty. She's a pre-teen." Mark shook his head in disbelief.

"That seems so weird." Susan said, running a hand through her sun bleached hair.

"Oh, it is." Mark laughed.

"So, how is everyone?" Susan asked.

"Everyone is good. Doug left.. Carol's pregnant. I'm sure you knew that though." Mark told her and Susan nodded, "I'm seeing someone."

"Oh." Susan replied, trying not to sound too disappointed, "Carol mentioned someone.. Elizabeth?"

"Yeah, she just moved here from England." He explained, "She's nice. I think you'll like her."

"Well, you like her. So probably." She faked a smile.

"I also, I mean.." Mark took a deep breath, "I was wondering, if you wanted to stay with me. I know how well you get along with your parents."

"That would be great!" Susan exclaimed, "But, would Elizabeth be okay with it?"

"Sure. Why not?" Mark shrugged.

"Cause.." Susan began, but shook her head, "Never mind. That would be great."

--

"Susan!" Carol called as Mark and Susan approached the ambulance bay.

"Carol!" Susan rushed to her friend, "Oh I've missed you."

"Hey!" Mark exclaimed, "You missed me more right?"

"No." Susan teased, shaking her head.

"You're mean." Mark rolled his eyes.

"I had lots of practice in Phoenix. Desert People and Chicago People..." Susan shook her head.

"Not conducive?" Carol asked.

"I went out with an honest to goodness cowboy." Susan explained.

"A cowboy? Did he say ya'all?" Carol laughed.

"Mhmm and he wore the hat and the boots and called me Lady." Susan laughed with her.

"Okay, I'm going to go find Elizabeth cause this conversation is seriously deteriorating." Mark said and walked off.

"He's missed you like crazy." Carol explained, sitting down on the bench.

Susan sat next to her, "I've missed him too." She stared at her shoes for a minute and then shook her head, "Anyways, you're having a baby!"

"I'm have babies.. plural. It's twins." Carol laughed, her hand resting on her stomach.

"Twins? Oh my God." Susan muttered and hugged her.

"How open are you to the idea of God Mother?" Carol asked.

"Are you serious?"

"Absolutely." Carol grinned.

"Definitely. I will absolutely do it." Susan grinned.

"Thank you." Carol smiled.

"So, how's Doug doing with all this?"

"He wants me to move to Seattle." Carol sighed.

"Really? And how do you feel about that?"

"To be honest?" Carol crossed her legs and put her head in her hands, "Part of me wants to jump on the next plane.. but a big part of me needs to stay here."

"I am all to familiar with that feeling." Susan wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"I appreciate that."

"So tell me about this Elizabeth person."

"What do you want to know? She's British."

"Like accent and everything?" Susan raised her eyebrows.

"Yeah. She came for some surgeon thing and never left." Carol shrugged.

"Is she deserving of our Mark?" Susan asked.

"You mean your Mark." Carol grinned, "I don't know, Sus. I think we all thought he'd wait for you for forever or smart up and move to the desert for you."

"But he didn't. And now we adjust."

"Bingo."

--

"I'm not singing." Susan protested, shaking her beer violently.

"You are too." Mark laughed.

"I am not. Okay, the Christmas Party was bad enough!" Susan exclaimed.

Elizabeth sat silently, watching the two verbally spar as Carol was in the bathroom for the fifth time that hour.

"Come on. Please." Mark begged.

"No." Susan shoved him.

"You're not drunk enough yet." Mark chuckled.

"I don't care how drunk I get. I am not singing!" Susan glared at him.

"Please, come onnnn. I'll sing with you." Mark pleaded.

"That's not fair. You don't make glass break when you sing." Susan pouted.

"Come on, Little Susie's ears didn't bleed." Mark chuckled.

"That you know of."

"Well you better warm up to the idea, cause I think Carol is signing us up right now." Mark pointed to their friend writing something on the clipboard.

"I hate you both." Susan crossed her arms.

"That's okay." Mark laughed.

Elizabeth sighed, she was going to lose this game and she knew it. She and Mark had been losing for a long time. He was obviously still in love with this woman, all you had to do was look at them. They just exuded it. She sighed, drumming her nails, Mark deserved happiness and so did she for that fact. They were happy, just not happy enough together.

--

"Up next we have Susan and Mark with 'Austin' by Blake Shelton... never heard this one done as a duet before." The man hopped off the stage.

Mark practically drug Susan up to the stage, "This is my best friend, Susan. And see, Susan went away for a couple of years to this horrible place called Phoenix. Before she left though, this song came out and we used to listen to it all the time and she always told me that this song was what real love is."

"I hate you." Susan said into the microphone, "If you guys cover your ears, I wouldn't blame you." She said as the music started and the audience chuckled.

Mark sang first, "She left without leaving her number, said she needed to clear her mind, she figured she'd gone back to Austin, cause she talked about it all the time. It was almost a year before she called him up, three rings and an answering machine is what she got."

"If you're calling about the car I sold it, if this is Tuesday night, I'm bowling, if you got something to sell, you're wasting your time, I'm not buying, if it's anybody else, wait for the tone you know what to do, P.S. if this is Austin, I still love you." They sang together.

Susan took the lead, her voice shaking, "The telephone fell to the counter, she heard but she couldn't believe, what kind of man would hang on that long, what kind of love that must be, she waited three days and then she tried again, she didn't know what she'd say, but she heard three rings and then."

Tears fell down Susan's face as they sang the chorus, "If it's Friday night, I'm at the ball game and first thing Saturday if it don't rain, I'm heading out to the lake and I'll be gone all weekend long, but I'll call you back when I get home on Sunday afternoon, PS if this is Austin, I still love you."

Susan's voice choked up and she barely got out the final chorus, "This time she left her number and not another word, then she waited by the phone on Sunday evening and this is what he heard, If you're calling bout my heart, it's still yours, I should've listened to it a little more, then it wouldn't of taken me so long to know where I belong, and by the way boy, this is no machine you're talk too, this is Susan and I still love you." She dropped the mic and ran out of the bar. She leaned against the cool brick building, choking for air.

"Susan!" Mark ran after her.

"Leave me alone." She sobbed.

"Hey!" Mark grabbed her arm, turning her to face him, "I love you."

"You're with Elizabeth." Susan cried.

"I love you and I am sick and tired of waiting for you. I waited two years. I'm not losing you again." Mark said and dipped his head, kissing her.

**A/N: Okay, so I really don't want to kill Elizabeth. Contrary to popular belief. LOL. And I am actually working on a fic, where she's a really cool person. So uhm, I hope you guys like this. If not, oh well. ;) This fic was going to be longer, but this computer is sick and so I have to send it to the doctor. **


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